I think he’s wrong on the PSU issue, and the way he handled it felt pretty performative—honestly a bit Trump-like. If he can “walk and chew gum at the same time,” then he should be able to support both PSU students and the performing arts center instead of framing it as one or the other.
More broadly, this felt like performative politics. You could make a strong case that the $1 million spent on repairs would have been better used helping lower-income students with housing and food, or even just making sure students have access to places like the library to study.
At the end of the day, those protests had basically no impact on the Gaza war. If anything, some of the rhetoric—especially when it veered into anti-Jewish territory—probably made it easier for Israel to build political support.
To give him some credit, I think he’s right about the Big Pink sale. Downtown probably won’t recover until overleveraged building owners are forced to sell at big discounts. Once that happens, rents can reset and businesses might slowly come back.
That said, groups pushing more ambitious DSA agendas need to understand that those ideas only work if local businesses are actually doing well. When I voted for Green, I assumed his economics background would lead to a more balanced approach.
The whole “Peacock” situation was also just a bad look—feels pretty juvenile. More generally, the City Council and Mayor have an image problem. A lot of people see them as ineffective. And when city workers won’t return to the office, it just reinforces the idea that Portland isn’t really “the city that works” anymore.
As of now, I’d have a hard time voting for Green—but that could change depending on who else is running. With ranked-choice voting, it really comes down to how bad the alternatives are.
I don’t think they are only seen as ineffective, they are ineffective. In fact at a certain point I would say their complete lack of realistic policy or willingness to actually represent the interests of anyone beyond their narrow special interest scope, is actively harmful. It’s a joke to me that someone who has done so objectively poorly would ask their constituents to sign on for that again. I hope voters do the necessary and vote these people out.
Israel is our friend and ally and that makes the PSU protesters on the wrong side of history. Those who damaged the library should be in prison for six months each and then pay for the damages.
Mitch Green: “Our current housing system is constrained by federal funding and policies beyond our local control. We need a model that is financed and governed right here in Portland. That model is social housing—permanently affordable, high-quality housing for all that serves the public good, not private profit.”
Tenant rights are essential.
“Imagine a system where tenant unions are not just a reaction to crisis but are built into the governance structure of the housing itself. This would create a powerful, citywide voice for renters to ensure their homes are maintained and their rights are respected,” he wrote.
This is exactly why I could not vote for Mitch Green. Portland and Multnomah County are notorious for creating pie-in-the sky projects without viable, long term plans on how to fund them. Permanently affordable means somebody has to permanently subsidize this "high qualtity housing", and who is that going to be? We've recently discovered what "high quality housing" through Home Forward looks like : https://www.wweek.com/news/2026/04/01/a-2022-policy-change-eliminated-one-of-home-forwards-tools-for-controlling-bad-behavior/
Junketeering Mitch Green is delusional if he thinks Portlandia or Multnomah County can competently fund, create and then maintain "quality" public housing cost-effectively, fairly and responsibly. But I'm sure he'll be willing to spend a whole lot of taxpayer money to try emulating what he thinks he saw in Austria.
Red Vienna's days are past, and Mr. Green will learn that when he has to look for another job. The city should limit its housing policy to zoning regulations and leave it at that.
All I can say is--WOW! Classan has climbed on board the socialist bandwagon. Is no one safe from the mind-virus of the ideology that managed to kill millions? How else to explain Allan's remark, "In other words, capitalism self-corrects, and social benefits will redound to society...." to characterize one of Green's tap dances. Mitch is a revolutionary. Full stop.
And, by the way, isn't it interesting that Mitch says he's a DSA dude--when our elections are supposed to be, by law, non-partisan? The DSA clearly stacked the rank-choice vote deck; and they will be ordering their troops to mass-vote in the early rounds to take out any available moderates, including his buddies Olivia and Eric.
The line quoted was my summary of Green's long description of how economics works. That summary contradicts Green's assertion that social housing is necessary because capitalism does not self-correct in the housing market.
No to Mitch Green. We can do better, and we should. Our city and community needs representatives who address real life issues that effect our real lives with real life solutions. Done with theory. Done with pie in the sky "what if's". Done with legislation and wasting time on nonsense like banning foie gras when we have a real life housing and drug problem.
We deserve someone who actually walks the streets and understands our real life issues. Eli Arnold is the candidate we deserve.
I appreciate the profile, but I want to add important context that may help readers better understand Mitch Green’s record and how it reflects his values.
First, Mitch was the swing vote in a 7–5 council decision to remove me as an alternate from the Community Board for Police Accountability. My “offense” was refusing to sign a nondisclosure agreement that would have barred me from discussing public information. I believed then—and still do- that the new Board's success and credibility depend on maximum transparency, not enforced silence. Mitch chose otherwise.
Second- and perhaps more revealing of his values- was his recent vote on addressing human trafficking- often involving children as well as vulnerable adult women- on 82nd Avenue.
As reported by Willamette Week, Councilor Steve Novick proposed a straightforward ordinance to hold property owners accountable for allowing sex trafficking on their premises.
According to Max Steel, Mitch joined Councilors Morillo and Kanal, along with fellow Peacock Councilor Avalos, to send Councilor Novick’s ordinance back to committee- effectively killing it after it had already cleared that step.
At a time when Portland is struggling with visible, ongoing exploitation, that vote is hard to justify. Concerns about motel operators were prioritized over giving the city stronger tools to disrupt trafficking. On this issue, Councilors Novick and Eric Zimmerman- joined by Councilors Clark, Ryan, Pirtle-Guiney, Koyama Lane, and Dunphy- were right. Mitch Green was not.
When this matter returns to Council, I hope Mitch takes a broader view—one that reflects not only his own perspective, but the expectations of the vast majority of his District 4 constituents and Portlanders in other districts: that we do everything reasonably possible to combat trafficking and protect vulnerable people—without hesitation or half-measures.
As someone who has actually lived in Vienna Social Housing, I can tell you it is no panacea. At least private property landlords have an incentive to maintain their property condition since the rent they can earn and the financing they need at low rates requires routine annual maintenance. In Vienna, the waiting list is months for social housing, the deposits required are large and need to be held in escrow in advance, and the responsibility of the unit upkeep falls to the renter, if they want their deposit back when moving out. And, none of those costs account for the building envelope maintenance (roofs, doors, grounds, siding, etc) which rely on city general fund or bond proceeds that are pooled collectively and naturally flow to the worst-case scenarios. Meaning deferred maintenance is a continuing problem making the overall average building condition spotty at best.
Both the PSU position and the Sex trafficking position will get him unelected. Perhaps he should just resign now. There is no shame in quitting when you are unsuited to your job.
Green needs to be replaced. Vote him out
I think he’s wrong on the PSU issue, and the way he handled it felt pretty performative—honestly a bit Trump-like. If he can “walk and chew gum at the same time,” then he should be able to support both PSU students and the performing arts center instead of framing it as one or the other.
More broadly, this felt like performative politics. You could make a strong case that the $1 million spent on repairs would have been better used helping lower-income students with housing and food, or even just making sure students have access to places like the library to study.
At the end of the day, those protests had basically no impact on the Gaza war. If anything, some of the rhetoric—especially when it veered into anti-Jewish territory—probably made it easier for Israel to build political support.
To give him some credit, I think he’s right about the Big Pink sale. Downtown probably won’t recover until overleveraged building owners are forced to sell at big discounts. Once that happens, rents can reset and businesses might slowly come back.
That said, groups pushing more ambitious DSA agendas need to understand that those ideas only work if local businesses are actually doing well. When I voted for Green, I assumed his economics background would lead to a more balanced approach.
The whole “Peacock” situation was also just a bad look—feels pretty juvenile. More generally, the City Council and Mayor have an image problem. A lot of people see them as ineffective. And when city workers won’t return to the office, it just reinforces the idea that Portland isn’t really “the city that works” anymore.
As of now, I’d have a hard time voting for Green—but that could change depending on who else is running. With ranked-choice voting, it really comes down to how bad the alternatives are.
I don’t think they are only seen as ineffective, they are ineffective. In fact at a certain point I would say their complete lack of realistic policy or willingness to actually represent the interests of anyone beyond their narrow special interest scope, is actively harmful. It’s a joke to me that someone who has done so objectively poorly would ask their constituents to sign on for that again. I hope voters do the necessary and vote these people out.
Israel is our friend and ally and that makes the PSU protesters on the wrong side of history. Those who damaged the library should be in prison for six months each and then pay for the damages.
Nicely balanced, Allan.
That’s a hard no for me!
Mitch Green: “Our current housing system is constrained by federal funding and policies beyond our local control. We need a model that is financed and governed right here in Portland. That model is social housing—permanently affordable, high-quality housing for all that serves the public good, not private profit.”
Tenant rights are essential.
“Imagine a system where tenant unions are not just a reaction to crisis but are built into the governance structure of the housing itself. This would create a powerful, citywide voice for renters to ensure their homes are maintained and their rights are respected,” he wrote.
This is exactly why I could not vote for Mitch Green. Portland and Multnomah County are notorious for creating pie-in-the sky projects without viable, long term plans on how to fund them. Permanently affordable means somebody has to permanently subsidize this "high qualtity housing", and who is that going to be? We've recently discovered what "high quality housing" through Home Forward looks like : https://www.wweek.com/news/2026/04/01/a-2022-policy-change-eliminated-one-of-home-forwards-tools-for-controlling-bad-behavior/
and who can forget this WW expose: https://www.wweek.com/news/2023/06/07/a-28-million-low-income-apartment-complex-descends-into-chaos-in-just-two-and-a-half-years/ .
Junketeering Mitch Green is delusional if he thinks Portlandia or Multnomah County can competently fund, create and then maintain "quality" public housing cost-effectively, fairly and responsibly. But I'm sure he'll be willing to spend a whole lot of taxpayer money to try emulating what he thinks he saw in Austria.
Red Vienna's days are past, and Mr. Green will learn that when he has to look for another job. The city should limit its housing policy to zoning regulations and leave it at that.
All I can say is--WOW! Classan has climbed on board the socialist bandwagon. Is no one safe from the mind-virus of the ideology that managed to kill millions? How else to explain Allan's remark, "In other words, capitalism self-corrects, and social benefits will redound to society...." to characterize one of Green's tap dances. Mitch is a revolutionary. Full stop.
And, by the way, isn't it interesting that Mitch says he's a DSA dude--when our elections are supposed to be, by law, non-partisan? The DSA clearly stacked the rank-choice vote deck; and they will be ordering their troops to mass-vote in the early rounds to take out any available moderates, including his buddies Olivia and Eric.
As for not being a Peacock...LOL.
The line quoted was my summary of Green's long description of how economics works. That summary contradicts Green's assertion that social housing is necessary because capitalism does not self-correct in the housing market.
No to Mitch Green. We can do better, and we should. Our city and community needs representatives who address real life issues that effect our real lives with real life solutions. Done with theory. Done with pie in the sky "what if's". Done with legislation and wasting time on nonsense like banning foie gras when we have a real life housing and drug problem.
We deserve someone who actually walks the streets and understands our real life issues. Eli Arnold is the candidate we deserve.
I appreciate the profile, but I want to add important context that may help readers better understand Mitch Green’s record and how it reflects his values.
First, Mitch was the swing vote in a 7–5 council decision to remove me as an alternate from the Community Board for Police Accountability. My “offense” was refusing to sign a nondisclosure agreement that would have barred me from discussing public information. I believed then—and still do- that the new Board's success and credibility depend on maximum transparency, not enforced silence. Mitch chose otherwise.
Second- and perhaps more revealing of his values- was his recent vote on addressing human trafficking- often involving children as well as vulnerable adult women- on 82nd Avenue.
https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2026/03/23/policy-intended-to-crack-down-on-sex-trafficking-meets-pushback-on-portland-city-council/
As reported by Willamette Week, Councilor Steve Novick proposed a straightforward ordinance to hold property owners accountable for allowing sex trafficking on their premises.
https://recalibrateportland.substack.com/p/whose-streets?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
According to Max Steel, Mitch joined Councilors Morillo and Kanal, along with fellow Peacock Councilor Avalos, to send Councilor Novick’s ordinance back to committee- effectively killing it after it had already cleared that step.
At a time when Portland is struggling with visible, ongoing exploitation, that vote is hard to justify. Concerns about motel operators were prioritized over giving the city stronger tools to disrupt trafficking. On this issue, Councilors Novick and Eric Zimmerman- joined by Councilors Clark, Ryan, Pirtle-Guiney, Koyama Lane, and Dunphy- were right. Mitch Green was not.
When this matter returns to Council, I hope Mitch takes a broader view—one that reflects not only his own perspective, but the expectations of the vast majority of his District 4 constituents and Portlanders in other districts: that we do everything reasonably possible to combat trafficking and protect vulnerable people—without hesitation or half-measures.
As someone who has actually lived in Vienna Social Housing, I can tell you it is no panacea. At least private property landlords have an incentive to maintain their property condition since the rent they can earn and the financing they need at low rates requires routine annual maintenance. In Vienna, the waiting list is months for social housing, the deposits required are large and need to be held in escrow in advance, and the responsibility of the unit upkeep falls to the renter, if they want their deposit back when moving out. And, none of those costs account for the building envelope maintenance (roofs, doors, grounds, siding, etc) which rely on city general fund or bond proceeds that are pooled collectively and naturally flow to the worst-case scenarios. Meaning deferred maintenance is a continuing problem making the overall average building condition spotty at best.
Both the PSU position and the Sex trafficking position will get him unelected. Perhaps he should just resign now. There is no shame in quitting when you are unsuited to your job.
Why don't you feature Eli Arnold. He will be sitting in Mr. Green's seat on the council next year.
The title of the article is fitting, I definitely feel like Mitch is focused on *his* values, not the values of his constituents.